Sportswear and water bottle in hand, children and teenagers gather, on the afternoon of August 16, on Place Pierre-Mendès-France, in Athis-Mons, in Essonne. At the foot of the blocks of buildings in the Noyer-Renard district, they all come to take part in an initiation to rugby workshop as part of the National District Tournament, organized by the World Cup Organizing Committee. The event brings together 6,000 young people aged 8 to 13, from priority neighborhoods surrounding the nine French cities hosting the international competition, which will be held from September 8 to October 28.
Athis-Mons won the first regional phase of the tournament in June. The teams that will compete in the grand final on October 27 must be made up of at least a third of girls. “Boys spontaneously go to football, in working-class neighborhoods, note Jean-Jacques Grousseau, mayor (PS) of Athis-Mons. The Rugby World Cup organizing committee had this shared desire to seek out children from these neighborhoods, boys and girls alike. »
This Wednesday, among the dozen young people who install plots, they are no less than nine. Hawa Touré, 13, chubby face and glued braids, came with a friend. The schoolgirl, who practices dance and dreams of being a businesswoman or rugby champion, regularly attends the summer quarters of the town. This is how she discovered this sport. “I love watching rugby, watching the players score and tackle, she says. Girls who play should be more visible, just like boys. » Today, no tackle but games to work on coordination, speed and skill.
A socialization tool
The workshop takes place in the Goscinny space in the Noyer-Renard district, an urban area classified by the public authorities as one of the poorest in the city. On the square lies a burnt lamppost and we can see the charred structure of a building of the Michelet social center, after the riots which followed the death of Nahel M., on June 27.
For the 58-year-old coach, André Ait-Saidi, also responsible for the community center, a municipal structure, rugby is a tool for socialization: “The players are in a spirit of collective construction, there is no balance of power. » But in Athis-Mons, teenagers swear first by football. When the coach asks, at the start of the session: “Who is hosting the Rugby World Cup this year? » Silence. Then a young boy tries: “Qatar? – host country of the last FIFA World Cup.
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